jeffcagle:

Whole Foods is sending a clear message to employees: you weigh less, you pay less.

The grocery store chain known for organic, local and sometimes exotic food options announced it will offer steeper discounts to employees with lower BMI’s (Body Mass Index). The initiative, called the Team Member Healthy Discount Incentive Program, would offer an additional 10% off to employees who meet certain health standards.

And what exactly are those levels? According to a poster released by the company, employees who want to receive the steepest discount - the “Platinum” level - need to have a BMI of 23.99 or less, blood pressure of 110/70 and less than 150 Total Cholesterol (or less than 80 LDL). A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal and anything above 30 is considered obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While this makes John Mackey look like a hypocrite after his long-live and deregulate private health insurance, bring death to Obamacare rant last year, this is a program I wish every employer adopted.

My BMI is 25; 180 lbs, a fraction under 6’0”.  I ride my bike 50 mi a day though and have legs like tree trunks, and the last person that saw me without my shirt on exaggerated a little but said I was all, “skin and bones”.  My BP after a workout to get there was 111/68 and my cholesterol was 99.

BMI is a poor indicator of good health, but I think they’re on to something good here.